Updated May 2023

Mental Health Benefits of Organization

May marks Mental Heath Awareness Month, and nothing raises my cortisol levels more than walking into my space when it’s a mess. I want my home to be my safe space, a carefully curated haven. When it looks like chaos, it is quite literally all I can focus on. Keeping your home and work spaces organized increases mental clarity, reduces anxiety and stress, and offers a rewarding feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from putting something in order.

When my room is a mess, my life is a mess!! (Ugh!)

If I’m surrounded by chaos and clutter, it feels incredibly overwhelming. I feel like I quite literally cannot do anything until my space is clear. Otherwise, simply seeing the mess makes me anxious about my ever-growing to do list and is a constant distraction. If you let your space get too messy, instead of cleaning or tidying up as you go, the task will become larger and larger, which may lead to pushing off the task even longer. Plus, the more items left out, leaves more items to distract you, which may stray you away from your work.

A disorganized space can just feel like one huge unfinished project and can make you feel completely out of control. "Organization gives you something you can control,” says Rachel Rosenthal. It can give you a sense of agency. The actual acts of organization and cleaning can be very soothing. They allow you to focus on something with an end goal. When you can track your progress, and visually see a different from start to finish, it feels amazing, like a warm blanket!

Physical organization is about having a zone for everything. When you know where things are, stress is eliminated. You’ll spend less time looking for things and can allocate more time toward your projects and passions. Once you’ve got your zones, tidying up will become much less of a chore or a burden, since you won’t have to spend any brain energy deciding where things go cause you’ll already know!!

You might feel like you have too much stuff, and that alone might be a mental burden. Decluttering allows for you to get rid of things that feel excessive and reduce clutter and piles in the corner or on the counter. You might be holding onto things that you don’t even actually like, which could subconsciously be weighing you down. Go through your things, and only keep what you really love!

My space always feels more full when I fill it with the energy of other people, and I want to make sure there’s room for them! Having a steady routine of tidying and systems for organization keep my home suitable for guests, even at the last minute! When your space is a mess, it’s easier to down spiral mentally and self isolate. If you’re going through a down swing, on top of how you’re already feeling, you might not want to bring people into disarray.

Beyond the physical spheres - mental organization and digital organization is equally as important. If your laptop desktop is cluttered, and emails are getting lost in a sea of junk mail, it will be harder for you to focus, get work done, and complete any tasks that will make you feel whole. Check out our tips for organizing your digital clutter.

Looking for more on how to set up your home to thrive? Check out this great article “Easy Ways to Improve Mental Wellbeing for the Family” to continue your learning and make the changes to support your mental health.